Samuel A. Lewis, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections, et al. v. Fletcher Casey, JR., et al. (518 U.S. 343)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided June 24, 1996 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 518 U.S. 343 · 116 S. Ct. 2174
- Decided
- June 24, 1996
- Term
- October Term 1995
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority author
- Justice Scalia
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Justice Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court. In Bounds v. Smith, 430 U. S. 817 (1977), we held that “the fundamental constitutional right of access to the courts requires prison authorities to assist inmates in the preparation and filing of meaningful legal papers by providing prisoners with adequate law libraries or adequate assistance from persons trained in the law.” Id., at 828. Petitioners, who are officials of the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADOC), contend that the United States District Court for the District of Arizona erred in finding them in violation of Bounds, and that the court’s remedial order exceeded lawful authority. I Respondents are 22 inmates of various prisons operated by ADOC. In January 1990, they filed this class action “on behalf of all adult prisoners who are or will be incarcerated by the State of Arizona Department of Corrections,” App. 22, alleging that petitioners were “depriving [respondents] of their rights of access to the courts and counsel protected by the First, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments,” id., at 34. Following a 3-month bench trial, the District Court ruled in favor of respondents, finding that “[prisoners have a constitutional right of access to the courts that is adequate, effective and' meaningful,” 834 F. Supp. 1553, 1566 (1992), citing Bounds, supra, at 822, and that “[ADOC’s] system fails to comply with…
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